The Sengoku Jidai period, also known as the Warring States Period, was an era in Japanese history famous for its numerous conflicts, ambitious leaders, civil wars and power struggles. Beginning with the Onin War, this period lasted from 1467 to 1603. The Onin War pitted the Daimyo, ambitious local lords, against each other in lengthy battles for control of the provinces. Central authority was still in the hands of the Ashikaga Shogunate, but this war severely weakened central power and led to a gradual detachment of the provinces from the Shogun's authority.

During this period, Japan was divided into fiefdoms controlled by powerful warrior clans, constantly fighting for supremacy against each other, a period that, in European history, could be equated with the 11th and 12th centuries. The Daimyo built their own castles, equipped themselves with private armies and, to consolidate their power, resorted to networks of local alliances, sometimes using ruthless means to achieve their goals. During this period, the samurai culture, already well established in Japan, reached its zenith.

From the endless fighting emerged almost legendary figures such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, three military leaders who changed the course of Japanese history. Nobunaga, Daimyo of Owari Province, is remembered as the first to use firearms on the battlefield, embarking on a campaign to reunify Japan. Nobunaga was the leader of the Oda clan, a small family of samurai that gradually developed into a hegemonic force. Rebellious and unconventional from a young age, Nobunaga challenged traditions and did not hesitate to break with the established conventions of the time. Hideyoshi, chancellor of the Great Council, took up the legacy of his predecessor and continued the campaign of conquest, which was however ended by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who defeated his rivals at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, ending the Sengoku Jidai era and ushering in the rule of the Tokugawa family and consequently the Edo era.